Retail Photo Systems allow consumers, with little or no knowledge of digital imaging techniques or systems, to print, share, and create custom photo-centric gifts incorporating their own snapshots and video clips. These systems are configured with components and devices such as a computer processor, wireless routers, touch screen displays, printers, film and print scanners, DVD reader/writers, and payment mechanisms such as credit card readers. In addition, these systems also include an assortment of custom and commercially available software packages, graphics, templates, fonts, special effects, image quality and manipulation algorithms, media calibration setting, video, music, and sound clips, promotional and advertising content, pricing and payment systems, and “step by step” workflows and graphic user interfaces (GUIs) each customized to the individual retailer and system configuration. Problems occur because each of these Retail Photo Systems, with its unique set of components, devices, software, content, and billing schedules, require a unique set of drivers, content and software licenses, pricing information, retail specific graphics and features, and other configuration information. Manually updating and replicating this configuration information requires a trained and knowledgeable operator usually requiring a service call, is prone to errors, is time consuming, and makes the Retail Photo System unavailable to users during this process.
US published patent application 2006/0061804 titled “modular digital photofinishing system,” incorporates a handheld image display and manipulation device that is capable of two-way wireless communication or communicating by way of a physical interface with a digital photofinishing system, such as a photo kiosk, in a retail venue. The system is modular with multiple optional input and output devices and media. Provisions are made for controlled digital and physical access to the portable devices, but the system lacks a configuration module that stores and provides configuration information. The portable devices can save user preference settings by associating users with individual user accounts.
US published patent application 2005/0114234 titled “software configuration of module dependent on history,” incorporates a program controller which is arranged to automatically authorize, configure, or upgrade a program for a customer replaceable card of a system, the controller arranged to manage the program automatically, according to a license agreement, and according to a history of use of the hardware module. A supplier can track customer changes and enforce more easily different conditions for authorizing the program on different modules from different sources, having different levels of capability. There can be less interaction with the supplier to get specific authorizations. Using the history of the module can make it easier to determine whether it falls within the agreement with the customer and the history can be stored on the module. It can be used to ease inventory tracking and generate billing information. In this system the customer has access to a hardware module and the authorizations are provided by the supplier. This is counter to the system and method of the present invention where the customer has no access to the configuration, and license authorization is initiated by the configuration module.
US published patent application 2003/0009378 titled “wireless transmission of data to and from photofinishing equipment,” describes the use of in-store photo processing equipment. Photo processing equipment including digital hybrid minilabs and kiosks are installed inside a retail store. This equipment contains a device that can send and receive data wirelessly. The digital hybrid minilab and/or kiosk can then engage in two-way wireless communication with other wirelessly enabled devices inside the retail store. These devices may be possessed by a consumer shopping at the retail store or installed at the retail store. When interacting with the device, the consumer may create or manipulate data, which is then transferred wirelessly back to the kiosk and/or digital hybrid minilab. This system can communicate with other devices but lacks a configuration module that is physically and digitally isolated from the retail personnel and customers. An automatic means to record and provide configuration information to a Retail Photo System that does not require operator intervention, is protected from unauthorized access, and is responsive to changes in the system and unique system configurations is needed. The present invention meets this need.